Title (Max 100 Characters)

LITHONIA, Ga. -- A Lithonia Chick-fil-A employee is one of only 25 people nationwide to win the prestigious 2013 S. Truett Cathy Scholar Award.

The $1,000 scholarship is given annually to the top recipients of that year's Chick-fil-A Leadership Scholarship. The program, which was created by Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy in 1973, awards 1,600 scholarships to Chick-fil-A workers every year.

Lithonia's winner, JeKayla Claxton, is the first person from the Turner Hill Road restaurant to earn the honor. She graduated from Stephenson High School in 2012 and is currently studying international business at the University of Georgia.

Claxton is heavily involved in her community; she volunteers with Toys for Tots and Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless, and also works in after school tutoring. While at Stephenson High, she was active in the National Honor Society, DeKalb Youth Commission and Dazzling Diamonds.

She has worked at the Lithonia Chick-fil-A since 2008.

"Claxton personifies the qualities the S. Truett Cathy Scholar Award was created to recognize. She leads by example in our restaurant and community," her boss, Tony Royal, said in a statement. "I am delighted that her hard work, positive attitude and leadership have been rewarded with this prestigious scholarship."